Teacher-astronaut's lesson plan to take flight

In 1986 the world sat in stunned silence as the Space Shuttle Challenger carrying New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe exploded just after liftoff, killing all on board.

Kathleen Szmit

In 1986 the world sat in stunned silence as the Space Shuttle Challenger carrying New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe exploded just after liftoff, killing all on board.

Barbara Morgan was McAuliffe's alternate, set to take her place should McAuliffe be unable to make the journey.

In spite of the heartbreaking tragedy that fateful January day, Morgan remained firm in her desire to travel into space. On Tuesday at 7:02 p.m., she will finally fulfill her desire.

Having been in her shoes, former astronaut and Cape resident Dan Burbank is familiar with the anxieties and excitement Morgan is sure to be feeling. "Christa was the prime," said Burbank in a phone interview this week. "They spent a lot of time together."

Burbank noted, however, that since 1998 Morgan has been training with NASA and is now a full-fledged astronaut. What gives her an edge, he believes, is her ability to convey her experiences, having been a teacher for many years in many world venues.

"Barbara is unique in one way," he said. "She has a great ability to communicate and talk about things so that kids understand. She will help make space that much more real, that much closer for students."

Barnstable High School astronomy teacher Mike Gyra agrees. "When she comes back, people will listen more carefully," he said. "It gives her that much more credibility. It's not just a teacher reading about space."

Gyra feels that Morgan's presence on the shuttle will be profound and have lasting positive effects.

"It is a testament to teachers," he said. "No matter where you are on your journey as an astronaut, you are only there because of the people who prepared you and those are your teachers at all levels,. With all the diversity that exists, it seems like the one commonality is the teacher-student relationship. It is subtle, but profound, hopefully for the better."

"Stay tuned," said Burbank. "It will be a real exciting time."

Barbara Morgan will take questions about space travel from schoolchildren at the Discovery Center of Idaho on Aug. 13 at 6:20 p.m. The chat can be seen on NASA's channel at www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html.

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Publication Date: 08/03/07

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